Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/15/2018

Taxes on non-homestead property in Florida could rise $700 million next year

A new report from Florida TaxWatch shows that failure to make permanent the non-homestead exemption cap could result in Floridians paying as much as $700 million more in property taxes annually. The 10 percent exemption cap on non-homestead property will be repealed on Jan. 1, 2019, which would increase taxes on owners of commercial or rental property, vacation or second homes, unimproved real estate, or any other non-homestead property. Unless, that is, voters pass Amendment 2. Read the full report from Florida TaxWatch.

Florida delegation holds hearing on oil drilling

Visit Florida President Ken Lawson and Brig. Gen. Evan Dertien, commander of the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, are among scheduled panelists for a Florida congressional delegation hearing Thursday on drilling off the state’s coasts. More from WLRN.

In Florida Senate race, Dems face down a daunting price tag

Across the 2018 Senate landscape, the vulnerable red-state Senate Democrats are either outspending their GOP challengers over the TV and radio airwaves, or they’re keeping the disparity as close as possible. But there’s one huge exception — Florida. More from NBC News.

JEA second-in-command poised to earn top salary

Melissa Dykes didn’t get the top job at JEA, but for a while, she will take home the top pay. After passing over Dykes last month for the post of interim CEO, the JEA board is poised to give her a substantial pay raise that will boost her annual salary to $400,000. More from the Florida Times-Union.

Disney's 'Minnie Van' drivers can join Teamsters union

The drivers are summoned by a Lyft app. They are expected to entertain with storytelling as they whisk passengers around Walt Disney World in what are known as "Minnie Vans," named after Minnie Mouse. And now these drivers can be represented by a union. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Summertime means fun outdoors, but mosquitoes can ruin a party and some carry dangerous viruses, like Zika or West Nile. People need to protect themselves, but not everybody can take the harsh chemicals in most insect repellents. Now, a Florida woman says she’s got a device that can suck the itchy mosquito venom right out of a bite.

Out of the Box If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em. Floridians are cooking up invasive species.

The effort to take a bite out of all kinds of invasives is picking up steam across the country. It turns out quite a few of the plant and animal invaders to Florida are edible. Some of the pickings are more outlandish than others.

Nobody crashed in Monday’s first hours of the new “wrong way” interchange in Miami. But that’s because Miami cops guided confused drivers in the manner of a first-grade teacher keeping wayward students in line on the first day of school.